Well, I meant that since the leaves have hair, then water will run off and not stay in the crown of the plant, leading to rot. But roots do not have such hair (root hairs are obviously different), so the roots still can absorb water. In the case of veitchii, even though it is an epiphyte, it often grows on trees overhanging rivers, so there is constant humidity from evaporation. Tree bark actually absorbs quite a lot of moisture too.
